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The rise and fall story of a troubling and fragile actor who would eventually get recognition for his talent. The case of Mickey Rourke is a real turning point in the way men have portrayed themselves in American cinema. 

How did Mickey Rourke, a beloved actor of the 80's who played the motorcycle boy in Rumble Fish, the crusading cop in Year of the Dragon and the cursed investigator in Angel Heart, turned so quickly into the ultimate persona non grata, a sad, tabloid-accustomed bad boy, a failed boxer and a living illustration of the excesses of plastic surgery? This film offers, beyond the classic story of a fall and a possible redemption, to draw the complex portrait of a fallen sex symbol who became an icon of trash by the force of representation of the Hollywood system.

Two times winner of the Palme d'Or, Ken Loach is one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers. This documentary shows in a punk and rebellious tone how Loach uses cinema as a political tool that allows to advocate for the advent of a more just society, by raising viewers' awareness.

Thanks to an exclusive and exceptional access to all the director's professional and personal archives, this documentary deciphers his work and the Ken Loach method: to make cinema a political weapon thanks to realistic films that move people. As a humanist, Ken Loach never stopped fighting against the implementation of neoliberalism at the end of the 70s with Margaret Thatcher coming to power in Great Britain. This apostle of subversion has twice won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his films The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016). Now 86 years old, the tireless Ken Loach enters the production of his new feature film, The Old Oak, scheduled for release in 2023.

Cary Grant, one of Hollywood's greatest stars, was troubled most of his life with self-doubt and insecurity due to childhood trauma. In his fifties he began a long course of treatment, taking LSD to exorcise his demons. 

Using words from his unpublished autobiography, and newly-discovered personal footage he shot with a film-maker’s eye, Cary Grant explores his long journey from childhood poverty to global fame, and from darkness out into the light. In this film we discover for the first time a different Cary Grant, the man behind the mask of subtle charm and suave sophistication that he wore to hide his insecurities. This is a story of a man in search of himself, on a quest to find the love that eluded him most of his life.
 

2018: Selected at the ARTFIFA - Festival international du Film sur l'Art. 2017: offical selection at the International Film Festival of Edinburgh (Scotland); Cannes Classic Selection at the International Film Festival of Cannes (France).

Takeshi Kitano is an international icon. We know the actor, the multi-award-winning filmmaker, but many ignore his split personality: the crazy TV star, the street kid from Tokyo close to the Yakuza, and the political satirist who blasted taboos!

Can we dream of a better guide to introduce us to the cultural history of Japan?

The word "Borsalino" today designates a felt hat. The Borsalino family brand has become a household name, like that of Tupperware, Kleenex or Walkman.

The quality felt hat, born in a small family factory in Alessandria in the 1850s, rose in status from manufactured object to veritable international myth when the craftsmanship of a small provincial town met the Hollywood dream. This film recounts the history of the manufacture of this myth, which has close ties to the history of cinema in the early 20th century.
 
Also available: feature-length version (79').

Dive into the heart of 19th-century bustling Paris, following the adventures and destinies of legendary artists such as Hugo, Sand, Berlioz, Balzac, etc. These intrepid young souls shook conventions with their words and brushes. This one-of-a-kind animated series reveals the deepest secrets of these romantic heroes. Their fights still resonate in today’s world.

Entirely told in traditional 2D animation, this series recounts the story of literary and artistic Paris between 1824 and 1870. The protagonists Hugo, Berlioz, Chopin, Delacroix, Courbet, Baudelaire, Balzac or Dumas… Young intrepid artists, eager to awaken society and break the rules using all means at their disposal, whether it’s paintbrushes, pens or guns. Their crossed destinies are incredibly romantic and their fights terribly relevant.

Everyone knows the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, now discover the universe of Tolkien and the legends that inspired them, with John Howe, the famous illustrator of Tolkien’s novels.

From the enchanted forest of Brocéliande to the sets of the New Zealand studios, Looking for the Hobbit plunges us into a universe we could never imagine existed. A quest to the very roots of our imagination.

Since 2013, Olivier Père, Executive Director of ARTE France Cinéma, has been conducting interviews with personalities from the world of film. Olivier Père explains: “Our guests are interviewed in an intimate atmosphere - unlike for promotional interviews".

The interviews with directors (and sometimes actors or producers) are carried out in a simple manner, facing the camera. They mostly take place during the Cannes Film Festival, when films are presented in the various categories, but also sometimes in Paris.
 
Olivier Père explains: “Our guests are interviewed in an intimate atmosphere - unlike for promotional interviews - in which we show our interest or admiration (and often both, simultaneously) regarding specific aspects of the writing, directing or producing of the film, and naturally, regarding the author’s intentions and motivations. Interviewees include budding filmmakers, who have risen to prominence following an outstanding first film, as well as experienced filmmakers and leading names in French, European and international cinema”. 
 
Director Deniz Gamze Ergüven talking about her film MUSTANG (2015)
Director Alain Jessua talking about SHOCK TREATMENT (1973)
Director Paul Verhoeven talking about BASIC INSTINCT (1982)
Director Paul Verhoeven talking about BLACK BOOK (2006)
Director Mia Hansen Love talking about her film L'AVENIR (2016)
Director Bruno Dumont talking about SLACK BAY (2016)
Actor Louis Garrel talking about A CASTLE IN ITALY (2013)
Actor Louis Garrel talking about JEALOUSY (2016)
Director Jean-Pierre Mocky talking about THE RED IBIS (1975)
 
And more to come!

Dead at the age of 24 after starring in only three films, James Dean remains the icon par excellence, whose influence endures 70 years after he passed away. More than just a face and an attitude, he transformed the perception of masculinity, embracing his flaws, his doubts, his fragility, his loves, forging himself into an anti-hero. His life continues to inspire, making him a timeless legend and a paragon of freedom. 

Through his distinctive personality and the three films he starred in, Elia Kazan's East of Eden (1955), Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Georges Stevens' Giant (1956), James Dean created breaches in Hollywood rigidities, and helped reinvent masculinity in a more flexible way. His screen presence, marked by vulnerability and rebellion against classic masculine norms, introduced a less rigid male model. Dean, a modern man of many facets (he was openly bisexual), challenged conventional portrayals of manhood, becoming an icon of sensitivity and complexity. His unique contribution has had a lasting influence on the perception of masculinity, establishing a new ideal of the emotional, conflicted man, far removed from the unfailing heroes of yesterday. 

Frances McDormand defies Hollywood norms by rejecting the femme fatale and embracing authenticity. Aligning with the everyman and owning her age, she has redefined stardom on her own terms. Three Oscars affirm her path as a fearless, uncompromising anti-star.

Frances McDormand’s career is very different from that of a typical Hollywood star. It took her a long time before she could find out what kind of roles she needed, because filmmakers never managed to lock her into glamour – not even her husband, the film icon Joel Coen. What makes Frances McDormand’s career so unique is that it wasn’t until she was in her fifties that she once again found roles that truly fitted her, and that she was able to fully embrace her feminist “role model” status, that, both on screen and on the red carpet urges a whole industry to rethink both age and the female body in cinema. It finally urges the industry to give actresses the chance to be treated like actors – no more, no less.

With her funny face, Shirley MacLaine is one of Hollywood's most atypical stars. Endowed with a passionate personality and strong discipline, she has never ceased to reinvent herself, from the girl next door to the eccentric old lady she still plays on screen today, showing at nearly 90 years old, that there is still plenty of room in the Hollywood industry for actresses her age.
 

Neither a classic beauty like Elizabeth Taylor, nor a sex symbol like Marilyn Monroe, it is Shirley MacLaine's apparent simplicity, combined with her boundless energy, strong discipline and personality, that have helped build her a long-lasting success. This success, which has lasted for almost 70 years, is unique among actresses of her generation. A devotee of New Age spirituality, she has never ceased to reinvent herself in successive incarnations, from a tomboy to an eccentric old lady. At a time when women’s place on screen is more and more addressed, especially when they’re over 50, Shirley MacLaine's career offers an inspiring and hopeful example of what the actress has embodied throughout her filmography.

Glenn Close, who is famous for her roles as iconic atypical women such as Cruella in 101 Dalmatians, is an active feminist. She inspires both through her performances and her convictions, prompting us to reflect on the role of women in cinema and society.

Here is the portrait of a woman who embodies neither Hollywood's beauty standards nor its sugar-coated immaculateness. It is the portrait of an actress who plays women fighting for equality, both in their vulnerability and in their ability to rise again. What personal experiences has this woman gone through to bring such authenticity to the screen? How does the actress who, as she puts it, is “made of bits and pieces” draw her strength from her unique capacity for transformation? How does she manage to combine creation and conviction? How does she manage to speak to all generations of women, from my own, born at the end of the last century, all the way to the #MeToo generation?